Wehrli Signs On as Chief Co-Sponsor of Clean Energy Jobs Act

March 1, 2019

State Representative Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) has signed
on as a Chief Co-Sponsor of ambitious legislation that would make Illinois the
national leader in renewable energy. The Clean Energy Jobs Act seeks to move
Illinois to 100% renewable energy by 2050, a move that represents a substantial
increase in renewable energy expectations when compared to the Illinois Future
Energy Jobs Act of 2016.

The 2016 Act calls for Illinois to move to 25% renewable
energy by 2025, and Wehrli admits the new legislation is extremely aggressive.
“The Clean Energy Jobs Act builds upon the Future Energy Jobs Act of 2016 and
sets new, higher standards for Illinois’ energy usage,” said Wehrli. “While
100% renewable energy by 2050 might not be realistic, we need to trend toward
that number and commit to being a national leader in renewable energy.”

According to Wehrli, the legislation, filed as SB
2132 in the Senate and HB
3624 in the House, was written based on information gathered from a clean
energy listening tour, which included 60 meetings across the state. The bills
target four primary goals:

Ensuring
that all 102 Illinois counties benefit from an improved clean energy economy

Providing
a path toward 100% renewable energy in Illinois by 2050

Moving
the transportation sector away from gasoline and diesel-powered energy and
toward electric-powered cars, mass transit and other transportation sources

Ensuring
a carbon-free power sector by 2030

“These are lofty goals, but they are necessary if we want to protect the air we breathe
and the quality of the environment for future generations,” said Wehrli. “By
embracing clean energy technologies like wind, solar and other renewables, we
are taking bold steps to ensure our children and grandchildren enjoy a
healthier future.”

Upon launching
the bills this week, Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois
Environmental Council, said she appreciates Wehrli’s willingness to ensure
bipartisan top line sponsorship of the bill. “Representative Wehrli is a leader
in protecting the public health of his constituents, and this legislation will
bring jobs and investment to Illinois while protecting the environment,”
Walling said. “We are so grateful for his support.”